2025 Kentucky Derby horses, futures, odds, preview, date: Expert who hit 10 Derby-Oaks Doubles says picks

The longest continuously-held sporting event in the United States will turn 151 this year on Saturday, May 3. That marks the date of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875. Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., has hosted every running since the beginning and will be the center of the horse racing world on the first Saturday in May. While roughly 10,000 spectators saw the inaugural running in person, the Kentucky Derby 2025 is expected to have an attendance exceeding 150,000. Barnes is the 8-1 favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, while Citizen Bull, another Bob Baffert horse, is 9-1 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby futures.

Should you target either one of the favorites when making your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets? Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling. 

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 11 times in the last 16 years. He also predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years and called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including in 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta, as well as the trifecta in 2024. Anyone who has followed him on those picks is up huge.

Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby futures already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions

One of Demling's surprising 2025 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading John Hancock, even though he is undefeated and coming off a win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes. The three-year-old colt made his debut at the MSW at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 8, where he won with a speed figure of 113, but that wasn't enough to convince Demling he has the pedigree to win at Churchill Downs. The Sam F. Davis Stakes, while prestigious in its own right, has yet to produce a winner in the Run for the Roses.

With that being the case, Demling is backing other horses in his Kentucky Derby futures bets at this point. John Hancock isn't as battle-tested as some of the other top contenders in the field, and Demling needs to see more from the Brad H. Cox-trained colt. "The Brad Cox-trained colt is 2-for-2 and won the Sam F. Davis Stakes in his last start," Demling told SportsLine. "Solid, but still has a lot of room for improvement." See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling is high on Burnham Square, even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Burnham Square is coming off the worst finish of his career, a fourth-place showing at the Fountain of Youth (G2) on March 1. Despite that disappointing result, Burnham Square has proven he has the speed and endurance to compete at Churchill Downs in May.

Burnham Square won the Holy Bull Stakes in February and has finished third or better in four of his last five starts. In his Holy Bull Stakes victory, Burnham Square closed from last to defeat Tappan Street by 1 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, advancing up the inside down the backstretch. Burnham Square also has the pedigree needed to compete at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. His sire and grandsire collected multiple Grade I victories, while his dam, Linda, had a G2 win at Churchill Downs in 2016. See which other horses to back at SportsLine. 

How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who has "lots and lots of potential." Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2025, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 11 Derby-Oaks doubles.

2025 Kentucky Derby odds, futures